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Backpacker Magazine – May 2011
Rip and Live: Learn to Survive a Bear Attack
With 1 million bears roaming North America, chances are pretty good that you'll cross paths with one of them at some point. To make every encounter safe, from grizzly bears to black bears, bone up on bruin identification and etiquette.
Know Your Bruin / Rare Encounters | Assess Risk / Stay Alert in Hot Spots / Identify Signs | Navigate an Encounter / Protect Food
Navigate a Close Encounter
First, don’t panic. Easy to say, we know, but the bear might not be attacking. Most of the time, it will saunter off. “Even when it pounces forward, slaps the ground, or blows air, it actually means the bear is nervous and won’t attack,” Rogers says. “In 40 years of being around wild black bears, I’ve seen that behavior a lot and never had one come after me.” But if a face-off is, indeed, underway, follow these pointers. And rehearse them in advance (your partner can play the bear).
Black bear
The best defense is to carry a pepper spray like Halt! Dog Repellent ($8, halt.com). Though marketed for dogs, Rogers says it’s strong enough to fend off a black bear. It shoots a stream about 15 feet, rather than a mist that can blow back into your face. If the bear comes after you (or is rummaging in your food), aim at its forehead and arc down. “I’ve squirted myself in the eye,” says Rogers, “and there’s no lasting harm. It teaches them a lesson: Campgrounds are no place for a bear.” Otherwise, a “nuisance” bear could be killed later by wildlife managers or a camper with a gun. If you don’t have spray, throw rocks and talk loudly in a deep voice. To appear bigger, grab a camp chair or sleeping bag and hold it over your head. “Doing just about anything aggressive will scare it away,” he says. If the bear does attack, your reaction depends on the circumstances:
>> Predatory In rare cases, black bears have, for unknown reasons, stalked and attacked people. In this scenario, don’t play dead or run (black bears and grizzlies can sprint at 35 mph). Rather, “Fight back with any weapon available: fists, feet, sticks, rocks, whatever,” he says.
>> Defensive “If it’s an even rarer attack by a mother defending cubs, which black bears hardly ever do, drop into the fetal position, since lying still has proven effective time and again,” Rogers says.
Grizzly
Again, pepper spray is your best option, but you’ll need a stronger brand, like Bear Deterrent from Counter Assault ($45, counterassault. com). If the bear makes contact anyway (like with a mother protecting cubs), lie in a fetal position, torso facing the ground, hands around neck. A curious bear might flip you. If so, keep rolling until back on your belly. Playing dead fails? Fight back with all you have.
Protect Your Food
Bears have remarkable noses. “I once monitored a bear who sniffed out a hazelnut crop 40 miles away,” Rogers says. “Two days later, she was there chowing down.” Ergo, in bruin-populated areas, store your food, garbage, and other odiferous items—clothes with food stains, sunscreen, toothpaste, lotion, bug dope, fuel (yes, really)—inside airtight bags, then keep the bags safe with one of the following methods.
>> Use bear canisters Rogers recommends the Backpackers’ Cache canister ($65; 2.7 lbs.; backpackerscache.com). Place the canister about 100 adult steps downwind from camp in case odors leak. Note: Many national and state park visitor centers rent—and, in some cases, require—canisters.
>> Hang a bag In places with less bear activity, where the weight of a canister isn’t justified, a bear bag can suffice, though experts disagree on their effectiveness: Some say an ambitious-enough black bear can always reach them. But since properly hung bags also keep out rodents and other critters, they’re a good idea in either case. Choose a tree 100 yards downwind from your tent, then attach your food bag to one end of 100-foot nylon cord. Tie a one-pound rock to the other end, toss it over a large branch, hoist the bag, and secure the line. You want the bag 10 feet off the ground and four feet from the trunk. View a step-by-step demo at backpacker.com/hangabearbag.
>> Set up a fence Surrounded by grizzlies? Keep them away by enclosing your campsite with a portable electric fence, like the one from UDAP ($250; 3 lbs. 8 oz., with batteries; udap.com). The wireand- mesh fence easily stakes into the ground in about 10 minutes, encloses a 27-by-27-foot area, and delivers 6,000 volts via two D-cell batteries—just enough shock to make any animal (including you) jump back, but not enough to inflict lasting damage.
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Lots of good common sense advice here for a change..Especially about carrying a Firearm. 357 or 44 mag is the ONLY way to go, but, if your in a panic and in fear for your life, remember it is a lot different so you need to practice a lot and often and if you can't hit the center of the target with every shot in practice over and over as in being instinctive you odds are not very good of surviving an encounter, aim for the Bears Heart not the head, I have read stories in real outdoor Magazines where the 44 mag rounds bounced off or were deflected off the bears skull and until they got a heart shot the bear kept on coming..You might practice shooting one handed while running in the opposite direction too since most likely that is what you will be doing in real life...My one and only Bear encounter was 35 years ago in the Adirondacks and the Bear just ambled across my path about 50 yards ahead of me, turned saw me or smelt me and took off in the the direction he was going at a rapid rate..I figured after a 5 days of crossw country hiking my smell was real bad!!
Thumbs Up on intelligent input Posted on Aug 31, 2012 El Comanche.
Worth noting: If you're going to tote a firearm learn to shoot proper and accurate at a moving target. Take a gun safety course and make friends with local gun clubs and/or shooting ranges.
This is for JAn!!
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/grizzly/bear%20spray.pdf I have to agree that although spray is no guarantee of survival, use of a firearm may make the encounter worse
I always enjoy reading backpacker mag but, some of the tips and advice given are just rediculous. You can't always enforce common sense but when your in bear country you should have a bear can, weather it's required or not, some bear spray, and a firearm.
This is the third totally irresponsible article I've read Backpacker write on bear avoidance and conflict resolution. People take this advice as serious and the results could be deadly. Fist two absurd points:
1. Dog spray? You are comfortable telling someone to protect their family with that? Where did you get that advice?
2. If a black bear mother with cubs attacks play dead? You obviously know nothing of black bear behavior. You need to have some sort of defense system. Do you really think you can win a fist fight with a bear?
The only comprehensive books out there on bear attacks and defense are by Gary Shelton, though Stephen Herero has a good one on behavior. Gary compiles real life attacks and data, persnal stories and explains as much as possible why the attacks happened and what means of defense are possible.
Of course avoidance is #1. If you want to hike around bears, know you stuff and give them their space. The guy who died in Denali this week clearly did not adhere to this.
Pepper spray is way over rated. Though recent studies show it works in around 70% of attacks, you open yourself to a 30% chance it won't. But that is not the real issue. Here is what Backpacker and many others refuse to acknowledge: Pepper spray is rendered useless in a strong breeze. How often do you feel a strong breeze when hiking? I live in WA state and I'd say quite often. That cuts down your odds quite a bit. Still, for most, I think it's a good bare minimum to have on you at all times.
A hiker was killed last year with spray was in his pack. ALWAYS wear it on your belt or in a chest holster or you might as well not have it.
So there is the whole gun issue. I understand everyone has their beliefs and politics, including Backpacker but it is a piece of gear that thousands of us carry that they refuse to acknowledge at all. It is not just legal, it can save lives and is a great survival tool. Plus, if you can't carry a gun in the middle of the wilderness, then where would you? Shelton’s books show in North America .44 magnum and up have proved 92% effective in bear attacks. That’s a more reasonable percentage in my book. Given, many of those guys are Alaskan guides who really know how to handle a firearm, but that’s my point.
With proper training and practice, anyone can shoot a handgun well, and carry it safely without endangering others. Of course some would never do this, and that’s ok. But it should be considered an option, not an offense to backpacking etiquette. I personally cannot in good conscience take my wife into bear territory without one just expecting it would never happen and if it did, the wind would always be in my favor. I’ve personally had a couple redneck situations/encounters that convinced me how much safer it is to have a gun.
This “If the spray and yelling don't work, then it must be my time” mentality you hear often is a very weak place to come from in a survival situation, and frankly is disingenuous. You have to value your life and be determined to live in that situation. Anyone would want to live if they were being eaten by a gizz.
I make a point to be as genuinely friendly and warm on the trail as possible as I know some get nervous seeing someone hike with a gun, especially near Seattle. It sure would be nice if all could treat us with the same courtesy. I didn’t give people dirty looks at Glacier National Park last year that hiked without even pepper spray, letting their small kids run ahead when the ranger clearly said there were 7 bear sightings and 2 bluff charges that week on that particular trail. The next week someone died.
For all the strong negative feelings people have about guns on the trail, there are those of us who feel the opposite and feel you are putting your family in harms way without a means to defend them. That being said, I would never make passive aggressive or mocking comments much less give a dirty look while on the trail. I just keep it to myself. Can everyone do the same please?
12 years on Kodiak and I can tell you that pepper spray isn't the answer. Be smart, keep a clean camp and be aware of the environment around you. I've seen brown bears with pepper spray running down their faces continuing to eat a zodiac, I've also seen a brown bear continue to paw through a tent while M-80s went off near its paws. It is their wilderness!
Just THINK before you go into bear country! Otherwise, please let Darwinism take you out of the gene pool. Too many idiots are stepping into the wilderness without skills or sensibilities and are potential bear food at any moment. Just because you've spent 2K at REI on backpacking gear does not make you a wilderness expert. Having spent thousands of hours and not dollars in the wilderness encountering bears, cougars, wolves without a scratch does qualify.
dont forget the most important safety issue. Unless you are hunting bears and cougars...
KEEP YOUR BARKING LITTLE SHIT DOGS AT HOME!!!!!!!! It also violates several leave no trace principles.
What you carry for protection depends on where you are hiking. In Grizzly country, you best have a shot gun, 44 mag or 10 mm minimum if the area permits it and makes lots of noise on the trail. In black bear country, a 9 mm will do. I always carry bear spray, it's proven to be effective and would usually be my 1st choice. Bears can get used to loud noises though. No one wants to to hurt a bear, all you can do is be responsible with camp housekeeping. If push comes to shove though, you don't want to be disfigured or have a arm knawed off, that's just stupid.
What do you do if there are bears (specifically a mother and cubs) pawing around your tent. Despite having kept a clean campsite and hanging our food about 150m away they showed up and would not leave, we're talking hours. We first tried being totally silent hoping they would wander off but the kept circling the campsite. Next we tried yelling, 'HEY, get out of here bear! Go AWAY!' repeatedly while stomping and clapping. This only seemed to make the cubs more curious as they then tried to snuff their noses under the vestibule. Eventually we were able to locate a whistle from the bottom of the back and literally blew it in the face of a nosy bear; this caused them to back away a little bit but they continued to circle and move back and forth from where our food was hanging to the tent. This went on for a total of 3-4 hours. What should we have done?
When did Backpacker become a mouthpiece for under-endowed right-wing loonies to vent their pseudo macho garbage?
Use bear spray (from a 10 mm semi auto!) it should work. Keeping a clean camp never hurts either.
Harmonicas or guns? I'm not toting either. My best advice is keep a clean camp. Use a bear canister in grizzly territory. And keep a can of bear spray. I'm not lugging a .273 caliber something or other and turning my relax time into a freaging "tour of duty." If the spray and yelling don't work, then it must be my time
Air horns?? Bear spray?? How much junk do you people carry around in the woods?? What do you have, native bearers?? Smith 19 in a pancake, pal. Makes VERY loud noises AND is capable of backing them up. And if you can keep a cool head, it will stop anything smaller than a locomotive. Now, will you hippies PLEASE stay out of the woods?
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